Posts tagged: Alumni

Coach Brown is back for a second tenure with the Cavs. We Keep track of Coaches here

Coach Brown

In five seasons with the Cavs, he compiled a record of 272-138 (.663). Brown was named the 2009 NBA Coach of the Year by members of the media and compiled a post season record with the Cavs of 42-29 (.592). He led the team to at least the second round of the post season in each of his five seasons, including Cleveland’s first ever trip to the NBA Finals in 2007.

Brown led the Cavaliers to NBA-best records in both 2008-09 (66-16) and 2009-10 (61-21). During those two record seasons, the Cavaliers ranked at, or near, the top of the NBA in the majority of all major defensive and offensive statistical categories.

Semih Erden is returning to Turkey to play with Anadolu Efes of the Euroleague, the team’s website reported Tuesday. The Cavs did not confirm the report.

Erden, 25, signed a two-year deal with a team option for a third year. He spent two injury-plagued seasons in Cleveland, averaging 3.5 points and 2.6 rebounds in 28 games (nine starts) last season. Coach Byron Scott had high hopes for Erden, but they went relatively unmet.

Scott criticized Erden multiple times last season for not playing hard enough and not giving a strong enough effort. When he was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Cavs two years ago, Erden emphatically denied rumors that he was homesick and wanted to return to Turkey.

Then reports swirled for the past couple of weeks that Erden was returning home to play, reports that his agent denied. Yet that’s where he is going.

The Cavs extended Erden a qualifying offer of about $1 million hours before the midnight deadline Sunday, making him a restricted free agent. The Cavs had the right to match any offer he received, but that obviously only applies to other teams in the NBA. The team would retain his rights should he return to the NBA in the future.

“Jason Kapono’s second tour of duty with the Cavaliers ended before it began.

Kapono, acquired Thursday in the trade with the Los Angeles Lakers will be waived, a league source said. The club plans to sign shooting guard Manny Harris for the remainder of the season.

Coach Byron Scott has hinted the past two days the team might bring back Harris, who played sparingly during two 10-day contracts recently.

The Cavaliers signed point guard Donald Sloan from the D-League Erie Bayhawks earlier on Friday.

The club picked up Kapono as part of the deal that sent Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga to the Lakers for Luke Walton, a lottery-protected, first-round pick and the right to swap first-round draft picks in 2013. Kapono, who played one season (2003-04) with the Cavaliers, will become an unrestricted free agent.

The team likely will pay him approximately $400,000 that is left on his one-year deal. The Cavaliers roster is back to a full 15 players. They host Atlanta on Sunday at The Q. “

Manny Harris, who was a bright spot for the Cavs last year, has rejoined the Cavs by signing a 10-day contract on Feb 21. Manny was a lock to make the team this year until a freak accident in a ice-recovery machine designed to accelerate healing burned his foot.

The Cavs waived guard Mychel Thompson today, Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant announced today. Thompson played in five games (three starts) this season, averaging 3.6 points on .292 shooting, 1.0 rebound and 1.4 assists in 19.0 minutes per game. The Cavaliers roster now stands at 14.

CLEVELAND: Former Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas told the Plain Dealer today he is retired after 13 NBA seasons and two trips to the NBA Finals.

Ilgauskas, 36, spent nearly his entire career as a Cav and helped the franchise evolve from an also-ran to an Eastern Conference champion in 2007. He spent last season with the Miami Heat and former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James.

The center owns Cavaliers career records for games played (771), rebounds (5,904) and blocks (1,269). He is second in points with 10,616.

He ranks 40th all-time in the NBA with 0.81 shots blocked per game.

“Enough is enough,” Ilgauskas said. “My body is beat up and I’m tired physically. There is no age limit, but everyone knows when it’s time.”

Big Z

Ilgauskas is in Cleveland today attending the opening of an urgent care facility that’s owned by his wife. The family has two small kids, who attend school in Miami.

“I want to spend more time with my family,” he said. “I have spent the past 15 years living out of a suitcase. It’s time.”

He appeared in just nine playoff games last season for the Heat, averaging 11.6 minutes and 3.6 points.

Z was a tough dude

It’s believed the player simply known as “Z” will have opportunities to work for the Cavaliers’ organization, but he would not address the topic. His immediate plans are to visit his parents in Lithuania before returning to Miami.

Ilgauskas said he’s been contemplating retirement for the past few seasons. He knew he had played his final game, Ilgauskas said, after the Heat was eliminated by Dallas in the Finals.

He’s most proud of his longevity after early foot injuries and surgeries threatened his career. He is a two-time NBA All-Star, who averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots per game.

“There are so many great memories here and I was lucky to play in one place for so long. To experience so many lows and then so many highs was special. There were the division titles and the conference championship. The early disappointments made the winning that much better.”

One of his favorites moments was capturing the Eastern Conference title at the Q against Detroit. The victory propelled the Cavs into their only NBA Finals appearance in which they were swept by San Antonio.

“I really enjoyed those years, but I would tell the young guys not to take anything for granted. We made those trips to the playoffs and had all those national TV games, but nothing lasts forever. I was there when the arena was empty. I can appreciate the whole experience now.”

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Much respect goes out to Z from CavsHistory. He was the longest tenured Cavs ever, had a great sense of humor and was part of both the lowest of lows and the highest of highs in Cavs history. Lets hope we get to see #11 hanging up in the Q.

There’s a lockout going on. So how about a video of WBF with some pretty rare footage of the 1980-1983 Home and Away uniforms? (and forgive me, there is some footage of him from when he was on the Sixers, etc…)

It is extremely rare to have any photos/videos of the Cavs is their home uni’s from that area. Why? The team was so bad an so widely unpopular that almost no one was there for the home games. So most of the archival footage is from road games.